This invention lies in the field of electrical connector plugs. More particularly, it lies in the field of hermaphroditic connector plugs. Still more particularly it lies in the field of high density connector plugs having a great multiplicity of electrical contacts.
Still more particularly it concerns a type of electrical connector plug in which a locking ring is provided to cooperate with a corresponding ring on a mating plug to coaxially pull together and lock the two plugs. The locking rings are also adapted to coaxially separate the two plugs.
Still more particularly this invention concerns high density connector plugs in which a quarter turn of the locking ring will pull together and lock two mating plugs, while a one third turn in the opposite direction will unlock and separate the two plugs.
In the prior art there have been high density connector plugs having many contacts. However, these have generally involved the use of a locking ring which has internal threads which correspond to those on the body of the second mating plug, and requires many revolutions of the locking ring to pull the two plugs together. When the locking ring is unscrewed, there is no way to pull the two plugs apart, because of the friction of the contacts, except to wiggle the parts laterally, while pulling. This tends to bend the contacts, so that on successive closures the force required to close and open the plug becomes very great. Also, this constant wiggling causes the contacts to break, and so on.
Furthermore, with the prior art plugs, since each plug has a clamping ring, and since the ring on one plug couples to the body of the other plug, it becomes necessary to thread one coupling ring far back on the body before the other ring of the other plug can be threaded.
Also, since the plugs are heavy, and are generally attached to heavy stiff cables, it is difficult with only two hands to hold the two parts in coaxial alignment while rotating the coupling ring many revolutions. This means that the hand that rotates the ring must ungrasp the ring and must move to a new position to regrasp it, during which time there is no way of supporting the first plug and the clamping ring, until the clamping ring has been advanced at least one complete turn.